While you were away – a brief roundup of the Christmas news

Coronavirus:

The long-awaited national coronavirus vaccine rollout was launched simultaneously on December 27th at three care homes in different parts of the country. Denmark secured an order for an extra 2.6 million covid vaccines from Pfizer/Biontech with an expected delivery date of late March, early April – the government projected that up to a quarter of a million people will be vaccinated during the first two months of 2021.

17 of the thousands who’ve vaccinated so far have reported minor side effects – the Danish Medicines Agency (DAC) said all were allergic reactions that were treated very quickly and without problems.

A leading British scientist warned Denmark not to spend too much time or money trying to resist the new mutant coronavirus strain that’s closed down London because it would be ‘mission impossible’.

In a new survey 79% respondents said they are ready to be immunised, one of the highest levels of support in the EU, compared to 63% in Germany, and 59% in both Sweden and France.

The government extended the lockdown until January 17th but according to virus experts the restrictions could be in place for months.

The main points:

• Shopping malls and stores to remain shuttered, regardless of size – supermarkets and pharmacies are exempt.
• Restaurants, bars to remain closed but can offer takeaway.
• Service trades such as hairdressers, physiotherapists, massage parlours to remain closed.
• Schoolkids and students in further education to receive virtual teaching at home
• Gyms, indoor sports centres, theatres, cinemas, museums, casinos etc. to remain closed. Outdoor sporting activities restricted to 10 participants.

Ahead of New Year’s Eve Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged people to cancel planned parties and enjoy a quiet evening with close family.

Millions of mink slaughtered and buried last month as part of a nationwide cull are to be dug up and cremated.

The Ministry of Food and Veterinary Affairs said around 4 million mink would be exhumed from several mass graves but first in six months’ time to ensure that they are free of the coronavirus strain and are safe to handle.

Sweden slapped a ban on travellers from Denmark in a bid to curb the rapid spread of a new strain of the coronavirus.

Politics/Economy:

Inger Støjberg quit as the Liberals’ (Venstre) deputy leader following a stormy confrontation with leader Jacob Ellemann Jensen who told the party’s executive committee: Either she goes or I do. The public spat between the two intensified when the Liberal leader accused his former ally of lying – Ms Støjberg’s claim that Mr Ellemann-Jensen was jealous of her close relationship with other party leaders in the ‘blue’ centre-right bloc was dismissed as ‘completely false’ by the opposition leader.

After the ex-integration minister wrote on Facebook that she may be finished as deputy leader of the Liberal Party but definitely isn’t finished with politics, both the Danish People’s Party (DPP) and New Right (Nye Konservative) said they would welcome her with open arms.

While Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has stated very clearly that the children of Danish foreign fighters stranded in Syrian refugee camps won’t be allowed to come to Denmark, neighbouring Germany and France have repatriated 23 of their own nationals recently, some of whom are under investigation for links to the Islamic State.

Convicted criminals will no longer be eligible for a Danish passport if parliament passes the government’s latest anti-immigrant proposal.

The latest assessment by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) of tax levels in the world’s 37 most developed countries showed Denmark had the world’s highest taxes in 2019.

Ahead of Christmas new Statistics Denmark figures showed retail sales declined a 3.1 percent month on month in November, after a 8.3 percent growth in October, but were 6.2 percent up on the same period last year. At the same time sales over the 3-month September-November period were 2.5 per cent up on the previous three months.

Despite the virus problems and the prospect of a new lockdown consumer confidence rose in December – the consumer confidence index increased to -3.8 in December from -7.6 in November. The average for the past six months was -5.6.

The temporary reopening of society and the retail sector in the year’s third quarter (Q3) helped boost consumer spending by 4.5% but still far less than pre-corona levels.

Foreign Affairs/EU:

Despite the national vaccination programme getting underway at Christmas a new study claimed Denmark won’t reach herd immunity until September, three months after the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada.

The Danish People’s Party (DPP) demanded answers from Health Minister Magnus Heunicke as to why the ‘amateurish’ EU failed to secure sufficient amounts of the new corona vaccine.

Business:

Copenhagen Stock Exchange closed down for the year on December 30th with Danish shares 35.6% up on the same day in 2019 – the biggest increase in the trend setting C-25 index’s 3-year lifetime.

Shares in Danske Bank rose sharply by 3% ahead of Christmas after it was revealed that Denmark’s biggest bank is no longer under investigation by the U.S. Department of Treasury for alleged money-laundering in its Estonia branch.

Green energy giant Vestas inked a €500 million ($612 million) deal with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to acquire a 25% stake in the company.

Despite fears of a property slump during the corona epidemic housing sales continue to hit new heights – almost 9,000 homes were sold in November, 52% up on the same period last year and a record high for what is traditionally a sluggish month.

And that was a brief roundup of the Christmas news, 2020: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).